Using a mouse lacking brain-localized NHE9, Edwards shows that pH gradients affect neuronal communication and autism-like behaviors.
The rat is a more sociable species than the mouse, and a larger spectrum of behavioral assessments are available to researchers. Using outbred rat 16p11.2 deletion and duplication models recently developed in his laboratory, Yann Herault will assess whether these animal models recapitulate the mouse phenotypes. Additional communication and sociability phenotypes will also be investigated.
Robert Malenka and colleagues find that oxytocin acts within the ventral tegmental area to increase dopamine reward neurons to reinforce the rewarding aspects of social interactions in mice.
Amiel Rosenkranz and colleagues have identified a specific intra-amygdala circuit, from the lateral nucleus to the medial nucleus, which is critical for social learning.
SFARI is pleased to announce that it has awarded 14 grants over the past year in response to the Explorer Awards request for applications.
Betty Diamond reports on a method to isolate monoclonal brain-reactive antibodies from plasma obtained from mothers in the SSC, showing their in utero exposure can cause ASD.